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Cameo of the Virgin and Child

ca. 1050–1100 (cameo); ca. 1800 (frame)
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 303
This delicately carved cameo shows the Virgin in an orant pose, with her arms upraised, and a medallion of the Christ Child over her chest. This icon type is often called the Blachernitissa after a famous icon at the Blachernai Monastery in Constantinople.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cameo of the Virgin and Child
  • Artist: Adrien Jean Maximilien Vachette (French, Cauffry 1753–1839 Paris) [Gold Frame]
  • Date: ca. 1050–1100 (cameo); ca. 1800 (frame)
  • Geography: Made in probably Constantinople
  • Culture: Byzantine
  • Medium: Agate cameo, gold frame
  • Dimensions: Overall: 3 1/16 x 2 1/8 x 1/4 in. (7.7 x 5.4 x 0.7 cm)
    w/out frame: 2 3/8 x 1 9/16 in. (6 x 4 cm)
  • Classification: Lapidary Work-Agate
  • Credit Line: Gift of John C. Weber, in honor of Mary and Michael Jaharis, 2007
  • Object Number: 2007.445
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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Snuffbox, Adrien Jean Maximilien Vachette French, Gold, enamel, French, Paris
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Snuffbox, Adrien Jean Maximilien Vachette French, Gold, enamel, French, Paris
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1789–90
Snuffbox with four maritime scenes; Louis XIV crossing the Rhine in 1672, Adrien Jean Maximilien Vachette French, Gold, enamel, French, Paris
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Adrien Jean Maximilien Vachette
Henri Joseph van Blarenberghe
1798–1838
Tip of a Pointer, Cloisonné enamel, gold, Byzantine
Tip of a Pointer
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1080–1150
Medallion with Saint Matthew from an Icon Frame, Gold, silver, and enamel worked in cloisonné, Byzantine
Medallion with Saint Matthew from an Icon Frame
Byzantine
ca. 1100

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